Players-only practice fueled Tipton-Rosemark
Sometimes it’s hard to say what turns a team’s season around. But the Tipton-Rosemark softball team can pinpoint the exact day: April 27.
That afternoon, the Rebels dropped to 16-9 on the season with a 6-2 loss to Dyersburg. And while that isn’t exactly Bad News Bears-level of losing, it was unacceptable for a talented, veteran team. Especially with the way the losses were coming. Tipton-Rosemark’s pitching was — and continues to be — terrific. But too many batters weren’t putting the ball in play, and far too many grounders were going through the fielders’ legs.
And after the final out was recorded that Friday against Dyersburg, veteran coach Johnie Sanfratello had seen enough.
“I’d had it,” he said. “I told them, ‘We play Millington Monday at 4:15’ and I just walked off. So after I left ... they got together and called a practice for that Saturday morning. I haven’t talked to them about it, but I was told they went about two-and-half hours by themselves.” Sanfratello wasn’t trying to motivate — “Honestly, I was just at the point where I had tried everything and I didn’t know what else to do” — but his team got the message.
The Rebels haven’t lost since that practice orchestrated by seniors Shelby Clifton, Emily Fisher and Rachel Whitley and enter Spring Fling with nine consecutive victories. They begin their quest for the school’s third championship, and first since 2014, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against Silverdale.
“The week before that, he had talked to all three of us about being leaders,” said Whitley, who won The Commercial Appeal’s Player of the Year award last season.
“And then we hit a rough patch and he was like ‘I’m not practicing with y’all, I’m going to watch my daughter play basketball.’ “
Added first baseman Fisher: “It was very focused. We knew that we weren’t only letting ourselves down; we were letting San Fran down. We had just had to step up as leaders, and I think everybody pulled through.”
That focus has been evident over the past three weeks. Tipton-Rosemark outscored its final three regular-season opponents 36-1 and then won the West Region championship before taking two straight from King’s Academy to advance.
“There was no other reason other than not being focused enough,” Sanfratello said. “We preach fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals . ... Our pitchers are giving up 1.5 runs per game, and the unearned runs were just killing us.”
Pitching will be crucial in this week’s tournament, which also includes Knoxville Grace and Chattanooga Christian. Whitley is 11-4 with a 1.45 ERA while freshman Charli Rice has been even better (12-4, 1.28). Clifton, meanwhile, leads the batting with a .462 average. The catcher also delivered the biggest hit of the season so far, a walk-off homer in the 10th inning of a regional game against Jackson Christian that gave Tipton-Rosemark a 2-1 victory.
“After that (Dyersburg) game, he asked us what could we do to get better,” Clifton said. “And nobody said a word. But when it was just us by ourselves we weren’t afraid to say anything, and I think that just kind of got things going.”
Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.